About once a month, Caprial and John have a Supper Club. This past March 9th, the theme was “Duck!”
As in the other supper clubs, Caprial and John describe how they made the dish as we are presented with each course (and we learned how they incorporated duck fat in so many ways…). In their new cozy The Kitchen space and 28th and Pine, the tables are right in front of the kitchen, so we were able to see them prepare, finish and plate dishes only a few feet away from us.
Also, it is BYOB. I brought a little bottle of late harvest Zinfandel that was extremely fruit forward with a touch of port quality to it. I definitely was glad my friend brought a bottle of the Cameron Scott Cote Rotie style as its lighter fruit was a better compliment to appreciate the flavors of the duck (whole ducks were sourced from Nicky USA).
There was a short interlude where we visited the Nicky website on our smartphones and I tried to rationalize ways to purchase a selection (say a third of their almost dozen offerings) of their interesting sausages to try, which include for instance Nicky Farms Venison, Rabbit, Dried Cranberries And Applewood Smoked Bacon Sausage, Elk with Huckleberry and Pinot Noir sausage, and Veal with Porcini and Chardonnay. And then we looked up when their Wild About Game event would be (FYI it’s September 8).
We started out with Crispy Duck Confit on Braised Lentils topped with Orange Crema. This photo from their FB post was the siren call that sold me, no surprise this was my favorite course.
Next was a Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad with Duck Cracklings and Sherry Dijon Dressing, a break between two meat heavy dishes. Here duck was a highlight in the form of cracklings rather than a course superstar.
The main course was a delicious Smoked Duck Breast with Rhubarb Glace, Cream Braised Leeks, and Potato Pancake.
Finally, we finished with Caprial’s Mini German Chocolate Cakes with Coconut and Dark Chocolate Sauce.
As has been true of my other experiences, such as class on Sunday Supper theme at their previous location and cooking class at their home and supper club at their home during a previous summer, it was a nice experience that keeps me a happy fan that keeps coming back.